Tangled Puppeteer
by Esmara
Summary: Blade and the puppets find themselves stuffed into a suitcase and carted to the home of a new master, the most eccentric person in town - and an unexpected ally. Can they protect their new master from an old threat? Eventually Blade/OC
1. Chapter 1: Discomfort and Bad Music

Chapter 1: Discomfort and Bad Music

_Can this get ANY worse? _Blade tried to find Jester inside the dark suitcase, but to no avail – it was pitch black, and without the formula to give him any movement, he was stuck being tossed back and forth inside the uncomfortable suitcase as it shifted from left to right inside their new master's car.

Blade wasn't exactly cozy – being trapped under Pinhead was incredibly uncomfortable, and his knife was cutting a hole into his coat where it dug into his stomach. _As soon as this fool figures out how to activate us, _Blade promised himself, _I'm going to give _his _stomach a good slice, see how he likes it. At the very least, I'll cut up that disgusting mustard-colored jacket._

Pinhead, Six-Shooter, Torch, Leech Woman, and Tunneler were all in similarly uncomfortable situations from being halfheartedly tossed into an old briefcase. They had been on display at a pawn shop, as Blade recalled, and the man had walked in, saying he was looking for something to impress a girl – although Blade doubted that he could impress anyone, with both the ugly suit and the matching face – unattractive _and _unpleasant, with a permanent expression of mild disdain.

After examining the wares with increasing disapproval for around twenty minutes, his eyes had settled on the puppets and their carrying case – which, by the way, Decapitron was still stuck in – and before they knew it, they were crammed into the briefcase, their old home – and formula – thrown unceremoniously into the trunk of the man's car.

They had been travelling like this for over an hour, elbows in faces and feet jammed against the walls of their temporary prison. But even that didn't bother Blade the most, oh no.

What was driving _him _crazy was the music.

_Turn it off! Turn it off! _He wanted to scream as "Sugar Sugar" came on for the fifth time. This master had absolutely no taste – everything that had played in the car was incredibly annoying or too catchy to be legal. Blade didn't even want to think about when the man had started muttering the words to "MacArthur Park"…

_Fire. Losing my hook and knife. Beheading. Being forced to look at a picture of a pig for the rest of eternity. I don't care what I have to do, _Blade thought, _but get me away from this man!_

BAM! Blade felt the wall of the suitcase hit his forehead as the suitcase slammed against the back of the passenger seat and fell to the floor. Then – a small mercy – the radio turned off, and Blade felt the suitcase being lifted from the car.

* * *

"I'm in-to superstitions! Black cats and voodoo dolls!" Lulu was more than grateful that puppets couldn't talk – otherwise, the marionette sitting in the elaborate throne near the stairway would have told everybody about these "karaoke" mornings a long time ago. Lulu threw one hand into the air as she continued singing into the hairbrush. "I feel a pre-mo-ni-tion; Some fool's about to fall!" She twirled around , making her mid-thigh black skirt to twirl around her gray skinny-jean clad legs as her dark-chocolate hair whipped around her face. "I'm in-to new sen-sations! New kicks in the candle-light! I've got, a new ad-dic-tion! For every day and night!"

DING-DONG! Lulu stopped, and groaned as she realized who the visitor could be – the only person who WOULD visit her unannounced. _Rupert…_ Setting the brush next to her puppet Girl-of-the-Nile, Lulu walked over to the door of the large house.

DING-DONG!

"Nobody's home!" Lulu leaned against the door, glancing at the ceiling and folding her arms over her chest.

"Miss Lulabelle, would you please open the door?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that Could you maybe go to the other side of the city and say that again?"

"I come bearing gifts." Lulu sighed, and opened the door.

"This had better be worth my time, Rupert."

"It will be," the man said as he walked in, carrying two suitcases – his own, and a decorative carrying case.

"You do know I'm still not going to go out with you, right?" Lulu walked over to where he set them down on the table.

"As to why not, I haven't the foggiest."

"Read my lips: _I don't like you._ The only reason I put up with you is so that I can keep my job."

"Now what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, seeing as how your father controls half of the city financially and can ruin a person's career at the drop of a hat…"

"Ah, Miss Lulu, you do come up with such strange ideas." He gestured to the suitcase. "But won't you open the suitcase? I'm sure you'll be intrigued."

"If it's a dress, I'm setting you on fire," Lulu said as she undid the latch. "Just so you know."


	2. Chapter 2: this is Gonna Be Awesome

Chapter 2: This is Gonna Be Awesome

Light poured into Blade's vision as he heard the suitcase open.

"Puppets?" He felt movement as the girl lifted one of them from the suitcase – it was hard to see when his face was pressed against the floor of the suitcase. "You bought puppets?"

"They looked like the sort of thing you'd be interested in, and as I recall, the store was more than happy to get rid of them."

"Impressive, Rupert – you did something smart. I didn't think you had it in you. Wow…" Blade wished he could see the girl, to have some idea of what his new master – his REAL new master – looked like. "These look old, but they're in great shape. This one… I wonder if these guns really work?" Ah, she had Six-Shooter. "Hm… he might need a bit of touching up – a bit of paint to fix the chips on his face." He heard the girl set Six-Shooter down, and felt the elbow shoved into his eye socket get pulled out. "How cute, a jester! Oh, but his hat's ripped. Nothing some thread can't fix…"

She continued on in this manner for a few minutes, making observations about each puppet and setting them down, until Blade was the last one in the suitcase. Finally, after she had finished mumbling about getting Leech Woman a new, clean dress, the girl gently lifted Blade from the bottom of the suitcase, and turned him over in her purple-gloved hands.

"Wow… now this one's interesting." Blade found himself being inspected by a young woman of around 20, with tan skin and black eyes that lit up when she saw him. "Nice coat…" She carefully traced a finger over the tear. "I'll need some good thread for that. And- whoa…" She held up his arm, gazing at the knife. "This must be the source of that tear." She looked Blade in the eye-socket. "You're quite the mysterious fellow, ain't you? A knife for a hand, black coat, black hat, and a hook… oh yes, yours must be quite the story."

"Miss Lulu, are you actually talking to it? It's a puppet."

_Shut up, Rupert, _Blade thought to himself.

"Shut up, Rupert. If I want to talk to the puppet, then I will talk to the puppet."

"Hm…" Rupert looked at Blade, who wanted more than anything to laugh in his face. _That's right, she's more interested in me. That's what happens when you mistreat us. _

Lulu carefully set Blade down next to Tunneler, sitting upright.

"Miss Lulu, I was wondering if you would accompany me to dinner later?"

"Can't, my schedule just got booked for the next week. Puppet shows and all that."

"Ah." Rupert turned, and walked to the door. "If that is the case, I will see you again soon."

"Don't count on it." Rupert frowned, and shut the door. Lulu smiled, and looked at the puppets. "Well now," she said, smile growing, "We got rid of him, didn't we?" She carefully put each one back in the suitcase in sitting positions, but didn't shut it. Instead, she held it parallel to the ground with one hand and lifted their case with the other. "Let's get to work on you."

Blade found that Lulu had carried them into what looked like the inside of a toymaker's workshop – the walls were lined with shelves full of supplies, and a large table covered in dried paint stains sat in the center. Lulu set the suitcase down on the table, before running off and coming back with more art supplies than Blade had ever seen in one room.

"Let us begin. Every new puppet I get has to go through a restoration process before I can put them around the house. Any volunteers?" She looked at the puppets. "You, good sir in the uniform, you go first."

Blade watched as she plucked Tunneler from the suitcase, pulling out a thread and needle with her free hand. She quickly got to work stitching the moth-holes in his uniform. When she finished, she set him down, and fished through her pile of supplies before finding the paints, and mixed a few colors until she got a nice shade of pink-peach; a brighter version of the puppet's skin tone. She carefully went over his face and hands, covering the chips and cracks, before smiling and setting him down.

"That didn't hurt, did it? Now, the rest of you. May I have another volunteer? Yes, you, sir, with the pistols…"

She continued to repair each of them for well over three hours, carefully stitching and painting the years of abuse and weathering away, and in Leech Woman's case combing out the knots in her thick black hair and replacing the ratty graying dress she wore with a pale blue gown she'd borrowed from another doll's wardrobe and altered to fit. She'd even fixed up Decapitron, after opening the other case. Now the only one left was…

"And last but not least, our Noir sleuth here." Blade felt himself lifted up again as Lulu inspected him. "Let's deal with that large tear in your coat first, shall we?" She quickly stitched it up with black thread, making sure the seam was almost unnoticeable. "And now, to fix the paint. Hat, please." She removed the hat from his head, and set it down, lifting a paintbrush from the table and dipping it in white paint. Lulu had to use several layers of white to cover some of the more permanent stains. She smiled when she finished, holding Blade up in the light. "And that should do it. You look sharp, if I do say so myself. And I do!" Lulu set him down next to the others. "That's done, now you guys need to dry… Might as well see if there are any more in here."

She turned her attention to their carrying case, and opened it. She immediately saw the smaller drawer – the one with the formula.

"Hello, what's this?"


	3. Chapter 3: Rejuvenation

Chapter 3: Rejuvenation

Lulu opened the drawer in silence, and Blade wished he could see the expression on his new master's face – he needed to know what to expect, what her reaction would be to _living puppets, _if he could be sure she was trustworthy or if he had to slit her throat right now.

He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to kill her. She was far too interesting.

Lulu set the tray containing the vials and syringes next to them. "Strange…" She murmured, returning her attention to the case. "There's gotta be an instruction booklet or something. Maybe a summary or an ad… Ah!" She lifted Toulon's journal from one of the compartments. "A diary! It must have belonged to the old owner." She looked at the puppets. "Now, my friends, to see what your deal is." She opened the book.

Hours passed as Lulu devoured the pages, reading and re-reading Toulon's recordings about the puppets. She would occasionally point at one and ay their name when she discovered it, trying each one out like it was a new instrument in her hand.

"Hm…" Lulu set the diary down after what felt like another eternity, eying the vials. "Formula, huh…" She carefully opened one of the bottles, pouring its contents into a clean syringe. "Let's see if he's right." Closing the syringe, he turned to the puppets again. "I need a volunteer. Let's start with the last one I touched up…" Blade's mind ran through the list, trying to remember who that was. "Blade." She lifted him up, turning him over and pulling down the back of his coat collar. "Ah-ha."

Energy rushed through Blade' body as the formula took effect, and for a moment Blade was still, savoring the effects. Lulu set him back down in a seated position, and after another moment, she got to work on the others, working in reverse order. This time, Tunneler was the last one she lifted. After setting him back down, Lulu looked at them, and waited.

DING-DONG!

Lulu whispered a string of expletives under her breath before running out of the room, and Blade stood, following her with his eyes as she shut the door.

* * *

"Bartal!" Lulu practically tackled the man who had let himself in with the only other key to her house in existence, and he laughed as he was hugged by the smaller woman.

"Careful there, kid. World War 2 wasn't yesterday." Lulu let go of her father's best friend, who put his gray jacket on the coat rack. "It's only a matter of time before your hugs break my old spine."

"You? Psh. With the way you're going," Lulu said as she walked towards the kitchen, "you're gonna live forever. How old are you, 80?"

"93, thank you." Bartal followed Lulu into the kitchen.

"And you don't look a day over 50. Wrinkled, maybe, but that's about it." Lulu filled a kettle with water and set it on the stove.

"You're forgetting the balding." Bartal sat down in one of the chairs circling a small table as Lulu rummaged through one of the shelves, finding the tea and setting it next to the kettle. "Although I'm a bit glad about that. Who takes a veteran seriously when he has flaming red hair that looks like he stuck a fork in a socket?"

"You're never letting me live that down, are you?" Lulu asked as she poured the boiled water into a couple of cups, putting tea bags in both and bringing them to the table. Bartal took one with a grateful nod.

"Never. But harping on adventures you got into when you were four isn't what I'm here for." He took a sip of the tea. "That's good."

"Then what brings you to the house of the Lowell family?"

"Just checking up on my best friend's best kid."

"I'm Dad's only kid."

"And that's why you're his best." Lulu rolled her eyes. "But enough joking around. How are you, kid? I know a year can still feel like a day." Lulu smiled, but it was a sad one.

"I'm… getting better. At first I couldn't believe that it happened, but… he's not in pain anymore, I like to think. The car crash is history for him, wherever he is."

"Your father was a good man, Lulabelle. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. I will admit, he was rather eccentric - "

"I think it's genetic," Lulu responded, and Bartal smiled before continuing.

"But he was a genius at what he did. A whole company dedicated to comforting the hospitalized children, and he did it with puppet shows. And now that business is flourishing."

"Of course it is," Lulu responded with a smile, "You're the CEO now."

"Ah, but I'm no Bryce," Bartal said, shaking his head as he set the now-empty cup down. "I'm just here to keep the fort down." He stood up. "Unfortunately, that means I'm busy all the time. I hate to cut this short…"

"Meeting?"

"You guessed it."

"Alright," Lulu said as Bartal walked to the door. "It was good to see you, Bartal." Bartal nodded, and pulled on his coat before leaving the house and locking the door behind him. "Now, let's have look at those puppets," Lulu said to herself as she stood up.

She ran to the art room, and opened the door. "What the – where'd they go?"


	4. Chapter 4: Things are Getting Weird

Chapter 4: This Is Getting Weird

"What in the…" Lulu frowned, closing the door of the room behind her. "I could have sworn they were on the table…" She approached the table, absentmindedly putting the remaining bottles and syringes back into their box, shutting it and returning it to the carrying case. "Where did you go?" She looked under the table. "Blade? Jester? … Why am I calling their names?"

_Creeeak._

"What was tha- ow!" Lulu jumped, and the top of her head hit the table. She crawled out. "Who's there?" Lulu's eyes scanned the room as she stood up, rubbing her head. Her gaze settled on one of the shelves, and her eyes widened. "What in the…"

Blade looked at her with the same permanent smile on his face as he stood up, and gave a small wave with his hook hand, opening his mouth with a small hiss. _Well, it's about time you found one of us. _Jester climbed from a lower shelf and stood next to Blade, followed by Leech Woman stepping out from behind the table next to Decapitron. Lulu blinked in disbelief as Leech Woman gave a small curtsey as a greeting and Decapitron nodded, while Jester simply waved his hand. It took a moment before she caught on, and nervously waved back.

"He-hello…" Lulu stuttered. "Nice to see you're all well… I'm Lulu." Her head was spinning a mile a minute as Six Shooter, Tunneler, and Torch walked out from the shadows to join the others. "Uh… wow. I honestly didn't expect that formula to actually do anything…" She put a hand over her mouth and furrowed her brow. "But… I guess that Toulon fellow knew what he was doing. Wow. So…" She shook her head as thoughts raced through, each screaming for first priority. "I honestly have no idea what I should be doing."

_Honestly, another overwhelmed one? I'll handle this, _Jester said to the others, although Lulu only heard a series of chuckles and giggles. The puppet jumped down, and Lulu quickly ran over and caught him before he hit the ground. He looked at her as she set him down. _Thanks. _He walked over to the table and climbed up, making his way to Toulon's diary and opening it. Lulu followed him after looking at Blade and the others, who simply nodded in his direction. _C'mon, where's the page… ah! _Jester lifted up the small book, and Lulu took it from him. Between the pages was a folded piece of printer paper, which Lulu unfolded with her other hand.

"To whoever is reading this and has discovered the secret of the puppets, you are now the Puppet Master, the caretaker and friend of these puppets created by the late Andre Toulon. Consider this note my way of passing the torch – I have spent many long, exciting years with them, and am proud to call myself their Puppet Master and more importantly, their friend. All I ask is that you take care of them, and protect them from those who would try to use them for evil purposes. Do this, and they will protect you in turn, but I warn you – harm even one, and the rest will turn on you before you can even think to escape. Good luck, and be brave. This isn't easy, but it's worth it if you're smart. Sincerely, Rick Myers, Puppet Master.' Lulu read aloud, before looking at them. "So this means… I'm your… master, I guess?"

_That's the idea, missy, _Six Shooter responded, although the chuckle that came out wasn't exactly Lulu's native tongue. Leech Woman was the first to simply nod a yes to Lulu, who had a confused expression.

"Alright… okay then. I can do this." Lulu set the book and note down, and looked at Jester. "So, I guess that means you're gonna be staying here… okay!" She clapped her hands together once, expression brightening. "I can do this! Well, I already know your names, so… how about I show you around your new home? Seeing as how you're gonna be here for a while…" The others nodded, and Six Shooter and Torch jumped down from the shelf, landing on their feet. Jester joined them along with Leech Woman and Decapitron. Lulu walked over to where Blade stood, and picked him up, setting him down with the others. "What, is jumping not good enough for ya?" She said jokingly, and Blade simply looked at her before joining the others.

_So, this is the new girl, huh? _Jester whispered to Blade as they followed her out of the room. _She seems a bit loopy. I like her._

_Anyone's better than that idiot at the pawn shop. I thought for sure we'd be sitting on a display in some gaudy house for forty years when he bought us, _Blade responded. Lulu led them into the front room. _At least she knows how to fix puppets._

_And clothes. I can't even tell your coat was even ripped, _Jester nodded, gesturing to the almost invisible seam. Lulu lifted a puppet from a shelf near the stairway – one Blade didn't recognize.

"This," Lulu said, "Is Ankha, my Egyptian-style puppet. My father made it for me when I was young, and I'm made sure never to damage it." Ankha had long, black hair down to her shoulders, and was clad in a black crop-top with gold wiring straps to hold it up, along with matching black pants that were loose around the ankles, and black sandals. Her hair had tiny gold beads woven in here and there, and she wore a gold circlet beneath her hair and a matching necklace to go with it. Her "skin" was the same shade as Lulu's, and their facial features were identical – black eyes, one cheekbone slightly higher than the other, lopsided smile on red lips, and a quirked eyebrow. "It's actually supposed to be me, but I prefer to call her Ankha. Mini-me is just too… creepy." She set Ankha back down in her chair. "Rule number one – do not break or damage Ankha. Got it?"

_She keeps a puppet replica of herself in the house, _Blade muttered. _That's not weird._

_Look who's talking, _Jester responded. _At the least this'll be fun._

_For as long as it lasts. _Blade responded, glancing up at Lulu. _But considering that the last three masters were all killed within two weeks of us showing up… I wouldn't get too comfortable. _

"And this is the kitchen!"

_It's a pity, too, _Blade thought to himself. _I think I may actually like this one._


	5. Chapter 5: Some Events of importance

_Okay, there is a bit of strong language in this one, just to let you know, so be prepared. Also, Tristella and her puppet belong to my absolutely awesome friend SJ Rivera. Thank you for reading!_

* * *

Chapter 5: Some Events of Varying Importance

_Well, _Lulu thought to herself as she finished buttoning up her nightgown, _today was interesting. At least they seem comfortable enough… I think. _

After showing the puppets around, Lulu had given them spots throughout the house, "posts" as she'd call them, where they could sit whenever she had guests. Blade had a shelf in the library, Torch was on the fireplace mantelpiece, Jester was on a decorative table, Leech Woman relaxed against a book on one of her shelves, Decapitron and Six Shooter stood on opposite sides of a cabinet shelf, and Tunneler sat on the other side of the staircase from Ankha.

_Here's hoping I don't screw this up… one wrong step and I've got a death squad after me. _She sat down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over herself.

_Creaaaak._

Lulu stared as her door, which she hadn't fully shut, slowly creaked open, and a small shadow slipped into her room, making its way to the dresser and climbing up, before getting onto the wall-mounted bookshelf. The shadow crawled over several books, before finally reaching the small shred of moonlight that poured from the window.

"Oh…Blade," Lulu said when the puppet looked at her, smile still plastered onto his pale face. "Is everything… alright?" The puppet nodded, pushing his hat up with his hook hand. "What are you doing in here?"

_Keeping an eye on you, _Blade hissed, even though he knew she couldn't understand. _You're in more danger than you realize, because of us. Somebody has to make sure you survive the night. _He sat down on the shelf. _You're not making me leave._

"I didn't understand that," Lulu said, and Blade nodded. "Are you… keeping an eye on me?" He nodded. "You're not gonna leave, are you?" This time he shook it, slowly and deliberately. "Alright… but if you go berserk or something, I'm locking you out," She finally said, lying down on the pillow. She rolled over so her back was to Blade. "Good night, Blade."

She heard another hiss as she drifted off. _Good night, Lulu._

* * *

Bartal frowned at the newspaper headlines, shaking his head and taking another sip of his coffee – black and strong, the way he liked it. "Nobody reports anything interesting these days," he muttered, continuing to walk to the office. As he finished off the contents of the cup and threw it in a trash bin, he glanced at the sky – gray clouds were beginning to form in the morning sky. _Great, another rainstorm. Could be sleet, if that half-wit weatherman got it right today. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, _he thought, folding his newspaper and sticking it under his arm.

Walking to work was an old tradition of his; simply enjoying the travelling, getting some exercise, and once upon a time, talking with his best friend as he went.

_How are you, Bryce? You're daughter seems to be getting better, _Bartal thought, glancing up. _I can't believe how long it's been – I feel like I was talking to you yesterday. Hope things are treating you well-_

Bartal's thoughts were interrupted when a figure went dashing past him, newspaper over her head as the first drops of rain came crashing down. All he saw as the figure blazed past him was a black trench-coat, with matching gloves, pants, and an orange fedora, and sandy hair sticking out from under the brim as she – the way the coat hung suggested it was a woman – dashed off, swearing under her breath in German, rapid-fire.

"What the- that looked just like…" Bartal shook his head, ignoring the rain as he walked up to his destination's front door. "Couldn't be. It's been over 70 years since… nah, Bartal, you're getting old." He walked into the building.

* * *

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Lulu glanced up from the book she and Leech Woman had been reading when she heard somebody knock at the door. 'Stations, guys," she said as she got up, setting the book down, and the puppets all took their places and froze. Lulu walked over to the door.

"Let me in, please!" Somebody called from outside. "This sleet is out to kill me! Let me in!" The doorknob shook frantically.

"Alright, calm down," Lulu said, unlocking the front door. She quickly stepped back, just in time to avoid it swinging open, and a woman – the way the coat hung suggested it was a woman – dashed in, slamming the door behind her.

"Merciful mother of _fuck, _what is WRONG with this weather?" She hissed under her breath, before walking away from the door.

_Plain _would have been the polite thing to say about her, but _interesting _was more accurate. She had a crooked nose and gray eyes, and sandy blond hair stuck out from under the brim of her orange fedora. Almost her entire body was draped in black, from her coat to her gloves, and she had a puppet – a well-made girl with long black hair and a red beret, a gray blouse and purple corset, with a long red sash tied around her shoulders – sticking out of her pocket.

"Thanks for letting me in. The name's Tristella Toulon."


	6. Chapter 6: Tri

Chapter 6: Tri, Fringe, and Lector

"So, you're their new human, huh?" Tristella took another drink of the coffee – black and piping hot – that Lulu had poured her. "Wasn't expecting a girl. The last four masters were all men, and save Rick, they were all idiots. How'd you find them?"

"An acquaintance did, actually, in a pawn shop. He was trying to impress me with them." Lulu simply stirred her third spoon of sugar into her own cup.

"Did it work?"

"Well, the puppets are impressive, but he still isn't."

Tristella smirked. "Nice."

"Wait…" Lulu frowned. "You said your name was Toulon…"

"I'm Andre's cousin, and if you're wondering why I still look around twenty, it's a long story which we will discuss at a later date, if you are alive long enough." Tristella set the cup down. "And for the record, call me Tri. This," she removed the puppet from her pocket and dropped it on the table, "Is Blade's cousin, Fringe."

"Why is she called Blade's cousin?" Lulu asked, setting her cup down as the puppet sat up and looked at her.

"It's because," Fringe began, and Lulu stared, "We were made out of wood from the exact same tree, only Toulon made him and Tri here made me." Fringe stood up, dusting herself off. "Which is also why I can talk and the Dark Dimwit can't. Where is my cousin, anyway?"

"I think he's still on his shelf in the library…" Lulu said, starting to stand up.

"Oh, I don't want to see him," Fringe said, "I just wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten destroyed yet. That would take away the fun of doing it myself."

"Getting back to the subject," Tri said, "Of why I'm here." She set the cup down, and pointed at Lulu. "You are going to die."

Lulu frowned. "Come again?"

"You are going to die." Tri sat back in her seat. "There's a puppet – not Andre's puppets or Fringe here, but another puppet – that is determined to kill you, just like the last three." Lulu tilted her head to one side. "Rick died of old age – the others weren't so lucky. And at this rate," she looked at Lulu, "Unless you have an immortality spell handy, you won't be, either."

"It's her fault," Fringe said, pointing a thumb at Tri. "She's the one who made the thing, and now we're the only ones who can kill it."

"You're the only one who can kill it," Tri corrected, flicking Fringe on the back of the head. "That's why I made you in the first place."

"Um… guys?" The two looked at Lulu. "How long do you think it'll take for him to get here?"

"Depends," Tri said, finishing off the rest of the cup. "How long have you been taking care of the puppets?"

"I think… about a week."

"There's your answer." Tri set the cup on the table. "If you're clever about it, maybe you'll have a week and a half. But I wouldn't keep my fingers crossed."

"Wh-what?" Lulu leaned back in her chair. "Only a week? But... how can a puppet get here that fast?"

"You haven't met Lector," Fringe said, shrugging. "But I guess you will in a few days."

"_HISSSS!" _All three turned to look at where the sound had come from, and saw Blade standing in the doorway, staring at Fringe. "Hisss!" _What is she doing here?_

"And the Dark Dimwit has arrived!" Fringe crossed her arms. "Go "hiss" yourself, cousin."

Blade hissed at her again. _Who are you calling a dimwit?_

"The fact that you have to ask should say it all. Don't you have a can to open somewhere?" Blade glared, before walking over to Lulu's chair.

_Don't listen to her, Lulu! She's pure evil! She's a harbinger of doom!_

"Harbinger? Did you have to look that one up?" Fringe shook her head. "She can't understand you, genius."

_Go play in a match factory! _He turned to Lulu again. _Lulu, please tell me you're not gonna let her stay here!_

"Children," Tri cut in. "Now is not the time to fight." She looked at Lulu. "Melodrama aside, Blade does have a point. The very fact that we're here is bad news for you, thanks to that puppet I was talking about before I was interrupted." She glanced at Fringe. "We're gonna need to stick around if you want to last more than the last guy."

"If you say so," Lulu said, "I have a spare room in the- wait." She stood up. "How do I know this puppet is real and you're not pulling my leg?"

Tri sighed, and pulled off one of her gloves, revealing a hand that was pure bone, without any skin, muscles, or tendons.

"Whoa…"

"Yeah. That's because of Lector." She put the glove back on. "And that's nothing compared to what's eventually going to happen to you." She stood up, putting Fringe on her shoulder. "Where did you say that spare room was?"


	7. Chapter 7: More Events

_First of all: Thank you guys so much for all of your patience with me, and oh my gosh, how long have I neglected this story, or all of my stories, I can't even write pretty I am so stumped. But I am back, and I give you a short chapter as a thank you (I'm so sorry for shortness but writer's block is evil). I promise I will try to get back into my habit of updating one story every day, but it will take a while. I will finish my rant with this: My new fic, a Chick Flick of the Deadly Kind. Continue? Stop before I ruin horror forever and inevitably make it a joke on my own writing? Tell me. Please. For now, thank you for tolerating this crazy chick and her ramblings about different things. You are all beautiful._

More Events of Varying Importance

_Stop smirking at me. _Blade ignored the puppet who was watching him walk out of Lulu's room first thing in the morning. _I'm her bodyguard._ _She needs to be protected._

"I think it's more than that," Fringe said as her cousin approached the stairs. "I think you've got it in your empty cranium that you like her."

_She's far more interesting than the last Master, if that's what you mean, _Blade shot back, _and unlike some I could mention, she doesn't drive me up the wall._

"As if you could get up the wall anyway." Fringe climbed onto the banister, and calmly slid down, jumping to the floor when she reached the bottom. "You can barely get on a table with your oversized fishing hook."

_Don't start with me, woman._

"Start what? Who's starting?" Fringe glanced up as Lulu, still wearing her purple nightgown, stepped out of her room. She looked at the two, still blinking exhaustion from her eyes.

"…Do I even want to know?"

* * *

Bartal had never been fond of doctors – even during what he hoped would be brief checkups, they would stare at their results in disbelief, ask him his age a thousand times, and then demand he re-take his weight and height at least twice before consulting their official records to confirm that he was, in fact, in his 90's. Yes, he was very muscular and healthy, and yes, he still did not suffer from any old age issues. That did not, in Bartal's mind, justify their curiosity and prodding. Bartal made a point to avoid visiting a doctor whenever possible.

And yet, here he was, sitting at his desk and considering scheduling an appointment, after seeing what he could have sworn was a puppet in a pawn shop he'd passed walking around the display and looking for a way out, all the while laughing maniacally with razor-sharp teeth.

Bartal shook his head.

* * *

"So… care to elaborate on what you mentioned yesterday?"

"You're going to die. I don't see what's so difficult about this." Tri took another sip of coffee.

"Yes, I know, but… there isn't _anything _I can do to try and avoid it?" Lulu sat down at the dining room table. She glanced at Six Shooter, who was sitting on the edge and reading a magazine.

"You could keep your fingers crossed," Fringe offered, "and hope for the best."

"Does that ever work?"

"No." Lulu sighed.

"Six Shooter, tell the others I'll be writing my will."


	8. Chapter 8: Never Look Back

Chapter 8: Never Look Back

_Thunk._

"Did you hear that?" Lulu searched for Blade in the dark, and felt her body relax when his knife gleamed in the moonlight a few feet away from her bed. The puppet nodded, letting out a low hiss.

_Thunk. _

There it was again! Lulu looked up at her ceiling, staring at her fan. It wasn't turning on.

_Thunk._

"Blade, come here," Lulu said, searching the roof as her eyes continued to adjust. She felt a tug on the edge of her nightgown, and lifted Blade onto the bed without looking away. "Something doesn't feel right."

_THUNK. _Lulu carefully stood up, holding Blade's back close to her chest as she approached her bedroom door, using her free hand to fumble against the wall, trying to find the light switch.

"_Hiss…" _Blade looked at the air vent, raising his knife in the air. Lulu finally found the light switch, and pressed it.

No lights came on. The air vent started shaking as something hit it. Lulu swung the door open. "Tri! Fringe!"

CLANG! The lid of the air vent fell to the ground in pieces, and Lulu looked at the hole in her ceiling, her pulse pounding in her ears as the killer puppet came into view.

Razor-sharp teeth lined its mouth, and its eyes glinted with what could only be described as pure evil. "Found you!" It cackled, jumping down. "Now, this will only hurt a lot!"

Lulu took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest as Lector cackled again. "G-get away!" She stuttered as Blade stepped in front of her, knife and eyes gleaming.

Lector lunged first, and Blade stepped in the way, using the hook to snag the clown by his legs and trip him over. Lulu quickly grabbed the bat by her bed and swung, tossing the puppet in the air before hitting again, sending him crashing through the window. She dropped the bat and grabbed Blade.

"Let's get out of here!" She put Blade on her shoulder before reaching for the pre-packed suitcase under her bed, and dashed downstairs, ignoring when Blade's hook tore into the neck of her shirt in an effort to hold on. She grabbed the carrying case the other puppets had come in, and swung it open. Blade jumped in. "Guys, hurry! He's coming – Tri, where are you?" She looked around as the others came running into the room, and she packed them one by one, not being quite as careful as she should have. After confirming she'd packed the formula, she looked the case shut as Tri walked in, already dressed and shuffling a deck of cards.

"He's here?"

"He broke into my room and I knocked him out again with a baseball bat!"

"Ah." Fringe jumped down from her shoulder. "So, what's the plan?"

"I'm gonna hail a taxi, get far away from here…" she was scrambling to get the other two bags she'd packed ahead of time – her purse, which also held the will she'd written two weeks before, and a lunch kit, "and when we get far away enough, I'm gonna call one of my dad's friends to get us to the train station!"

"Where are we headed, Forks Washington?"

"I have enough problems without sparkling vampires, don't you think? My dad had an old loft up north." She lifted Ankha from her small throne and jammed her into a side compartment of the suitcase, before whipping out her phone and dialing. "Hello, taxi? Can you come here quickly? … Yes, this is Lulu, the girl who scheduled last week. Thank you." She hung up. "He'll be here in ten minutes."

"Then I'll have to kill you nine!" Lulu looked up just in time to see Lector jump at her from the ceiling fan, and dropped the bag in her hand to jump out of the way. "What's the matter? Are you afraid of clowns?!"

"There you are!" Fringe was immediately behind him with a prod from the fireplace. "I've been waiting for this!" She charged, and jammed the metal piece into his back.

"Augh!"Lector swiveled to look at Fringe. "We meet again, puppet! So nice of you to join us!"

"Who are you calling "Puppet", psycho?" she swung the prod again, but Lector grabbed it and threw it to the side.

"What now, girly? Not so tough without having something to fight with, are you-" CLANG!

"Hey! Beating on him is MY job!" Fringe protested as Lulu tossed the prod aside and lifted the unconscious Lector. "What are you doing?"

Lulu didn't answer, but instead ran to the basement, stumbling around in the dark until she found what she was looking for – an old, but large safe. She tossed Lector inside and slammed the door shut, turning the handle a couple of times for good measure before running back up and grabbing her bags. Tri was already outside, still shuffling cards.

"Oh, you survived," she said without looking up as Lulu and Fringe ran up to her. The taxi drove up a minute later, and Lulu threw everything in the trunk before she got in the back with Tri.

"Step on it!" the taxi took off, and Lulu glanced at her home for the last time as they got further and further away, until it was nothing but a speck in the distance.


	9. Chapter 9: The New Face of an Old Friend

Chapter 9: The New Face of an Old Friend

"Lulu, get in here!" The young woman wasted no time running out of the torrential rain, clinging to her suitcases and sobbing erratically. Bartal took the bags from her, and she slumped down in the nearest chair she could find. "What in the world happened?"

"Your adoptive daughter is traumatized," Lulu's black-cloaked companion said as she walked in, "go deal with it." She was soaked as well, but didn't seem to particularly care, instead pulling a deck of cards from her pocket and starting to shuffle them. He couldn't see her expression, thanks to the water-darkened strands of hair that hung down from beneath the brim of her battered, orange hat.

Bartal returned his attention to Lulu as the other girl sat down, avoiding eye contact. Lulu was curled up, body shaking and jolting violently, eyes puffed and red. "Lulabelle?"

"I-I-I'm…" She stuttered, tears streaming down her face, "I'm going to die… I'm going to die…"

"No, Lulu, calm down. You're fine, look at me, Lulu, it's over…" that look in her eye was horror he recognized – horror from coming face to face with what might have been death. "Lulu, look at me." She turned to look at him, mouth slightly open but without words. "Tell me what happened."

"I-I…" Lulu curled up tighter, clutching her own shoulders, knees pulled to her chest. "There's something… out to kill me… pu…"

"What?" He looked at Stella, who gave him no acknowledgement. Lulu swallowed.

"Puppet… killer puppet…"

Bartal frowned. Killer puppets? That was the stupidest thing he'd ever-

_"So you're trying to… use the life force of people who have fallen victim to the Nazis, and create… puppet soldiers?" Bartal turned the cowboy puppet over in his hand as his old friend – a friend of the family, Andre Toulon – painted a tall cowboy puppet's face._

_ "Yes," he said, "that's right. If this works, they should be helpful to your cause. When are you leaving?"_

_ "Tomorrow," the young man responded, "if all goes according to plan."_

_ "Perhaps, soon, I will send my friends to help you." Toulon help up his cowboy._

_ "Yeah… anyway, good luck," Bartal said, lifting his bag. He glanced at the cowboy one more time, before walking out the door._

"…God damn it Toulon, I thought you were kidding." He stood up. "Lulu, I'm going to try to find a friend of mine who may know what you're talking about."

"Who's that?" The cloaked stranger asked halfheartedly as he headed for the other room.

"Tristella Toulon." Bartal didn't notice the girl drop a few cards.


	10. Chapter 10: Reassurances

_Plotlss short chapter is short and plotless..._

_I need to work on this plot a bit more, but enjoy Blade being his cool self!_

* * *

Chapter 10: Reassurances

It hadn't been easy, getting out of the suitcase and finding the room she was in without alerting the man he hadn't seen since before the war, but the wave of relief and satisfaction that swept over Blade when he walked through the partially-opened door and found Lulu wrapped up in her blanket, alive and safe, was absolutely worth it. He took a few steps towards the bed, and let out a small hiss, enough to get her attention but not wake her up if he was asleep. Lulu sat up, and looked at Blade with terrified eyes for a moment before relaxing.

"…Oh," she murmured as he walked over, "it's you."

_"It's me," _he responded, and Lulu leaned over the side of the bed to lift him up, setting him in her blanket-covered lap.

""…You saved my life tonight," Lulu said quietly as he looked at her, observing the heavy exhaustion lines that had set into her brow and under her eyes. "I just realized that. Thank you."

"_It's my job, don't worry about it," _he responded, but shook his head as well, just in case.

"No, Blade, it _is _a big deal," Lulu responded, and Blade faced her, head tilted to one side. Her normally curly hair was a mess… he wished she was smiling right now, just a little, to brighten up that gloomy look. "I would have been nightmare fuel if it wasn't for you. He could've killed you, too." She had turned on the nearby lamp, and was inspecting his coat for tears. "You handled yourself pretty well, too…"

_"I could say the same for you," _Blade responded, despite knowing that all she heard was an encouraging hiss, _"That was some quick thinking, knocking him out and locking him in a safe. It won't keep him for long – maybe two or three days – but still."_

"I'm going to guess you're trying to cheer me up," Lulu said, and Blade nodded. "Thanks, but right now I just want to get some shut-eye."

_"Got it." _He started to jump off the bed, but she gently tugged on his sleeve.

"Blade? Could you… stay in here?" Lulu sighed. "After a few hours ago…" Blade nodded, and sat down on the bed table. Lulu turned off the lamp. "Thank you. Good night, Blade."

_"G'night, Lulu."_


	11. Chapter 11: Retired Memories

_Holy crap, this story lives! Sorry it took me so long, I'm still a bit stuck on moving the plot back to where it belongs, but here's progress, at least._

_See Bartal here? I'll give more details on im later. Keep an eye on him, he's cool._

_Happy reading!_

* * *

Chapter 11: Retired Memories

"Gonna go get some breakfast," Lulu said quietly, the "detective" puppet sticking out of her briefcase, as she walked towards the front door. "I'll come back in a little bit."

"Be careful," Bartal responded, glancing back at Lulu, who smiled at him before she walked out. As soon as the door shut behind her, he returned his attention to the massive pile of papers laid out on the table. "Alright, then…" he tossed a sheet he'd just finished reading over his shoulder, "where are ya, Tri?"

How long had it been since he'd last seen the puppets? Old Andre Toulon… after hearing about him shooting himself in Germany, Bartal had given up on seeing any more of their family, much less Andre's cousin Tristella. And then Lulu had run in with those puppets… Andre's puppets, the ones he could have sworn watched him with their painted eyes.

"No…" he tossed another sheet over his shoulder. His mind drifted back to the first time he'd met Toulon as he sorted through documents and old notifications, letters of soldiers being MIA or having gone AWOL. It had been summer, years before the war…

_She had been standing alone in the elaborate garden maze, shuffling a deck of cards by herself. She looked about thirteen or fourteen – his age. Bartal hesitated before walking over, and she looked up. She wasn't pretty, but she was interesting._

_"Well, say something." She said._

That had pretty much summed up most of it – her always one step ahead of him, one witty line above him, and he always tried and failed to get the upper hand. They'd been best friends until the war, when he'd ended up captured and declared MIA. When he'd finally gotten back, Toulon was dead and Tri had disappeared – apparently she'd gotten married and left the country. Bartal sighed, and kept looking through papers.

_Tri, you never gave up. Where are you?_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Midnight

Bartal threw the millionth bundle of paper over his shoulder and into the recycling bin. Still nothing, and that girl Stella had been absolutely no help. It probably hadn't been to his benefit when he'd remarked that she _acted _just like the person he was looking for, right down to the snark – at that, she'd just walked away.

He looked at the clock: 11:58. _Old man, you don't have enough years to stay up and strain your eyes. _The eyeglasses resting on the bridge of his nose were older than the gun he'd wrestled from a Nazi all those years ago and kept as a trophy on his wall. Bartal leaned back in his chair. Well, at least it was quiet-

BAM! Bartal sat up as the door slammed shut behind Lulu, who scrambled upstairs.

"Where do you keep a gun?!" Lulu called down as she ran into the spare room. Stella was already up, deck in pocket, and looking around.

"Where is he?" Stella asked, although she didn't seem nearly as panicked.

"Right behind me! I swear I saw him across the street!"

"Who?!" Bartal stood, hand crushing the top of the chair he held on to. "Who's after you?!"

"The puppet!" Lulu had grabbed a bat and scrambled back down, suitcase in hand. The puppet from earlier – Bartal remembered Toulon calling him "Blade", now that he thought about it – up and moving, weapons gleaming in the artificial light. Lulu set the suitcase outside the back door and ran back, while Stella simply leaned against a wall.

"Aren't you going to help?" Bartal raised an eyebrow.

"You can handle it." She responded, pulling out her deck. "My job is to catch the thing." Blade was angrily hissing at Lulu, trying to urge her behind him by swinging his knife a few centimeters in front of her.

"No, Blade," Lulu responded, "this is my problem too, and I'm going to deal with it." After a tense moment, Blade relented, and they both faced the front door. Bartal frowned.

"Wait, don't tell me it's going to break down my-"

CRACK!

The wood split apart, and the thing he'd seen in the store window grinned to make the Cheshire Cat cry. Bartal grimaced – it was horrible to look at, and was looking right at Lulu.

"There you are, my little snack," he chuckled, and Bartal's hand clenched tighter around the chair. Lulu held the bat in front of her, pointing it at him.

"St-stay back!" She stuttered, and the puppet laughed, and jumped.

Bartal wasn't sure if Lulu had actually swung the bat or just spun away while holding it out, but the puppet was knocked back for a second It got back up, dove for her, and Blade's knife was in its shoulder. It spun and kicked him off, sending him into the wall as Lulu brought the bat down on it again, missed. It stood, grabbed the bat, bit off a large chunk and spat it out. He jumped at her face, and Bartal swung the chair and sent it flying into the opposite wall. It slid down, and Bartal looked down at the old chunk of metal in his hands before compressing it, twisting it into a makeshift hammer, and stepping forward.

It suddenly zoomed past him, and Lulu jumped away. She stumbled over the rug and fell over, and the puppet grinned before sinking its teeth into her leg.

She screamed as blood poured out of the wound, and kicked, flinging it off again, and Blade was on the thing again, hacking and only getting splinters off. He jumped up again, and grabbed another, wooden chair, and swatted Blade away with it. He hit the wall again, letting out a pathetic hiss of pain before getting up again and running over. Lulu was standing near the fireplace, looking at her wound and around the room for an impromptu weapon. Blade somehow knocked the thing to the ground, hacking away.

"Get out of the way!" Blade stepped back, and Bartal brought the twisted chair down. The puppet caught it with razor-sharp teeth, and Bartal stared for a second as he walked it chew up and devour the metal before looking to the girl, who had grabbed one of those metal rods for poking the fireplace that he could never remember the name of. It was red-hot at the end, and Lulu jammed it into the puppet's chest.

He cackled, a hideous and demonic sound, and snapped off the burning metal, chomping into it. Lulu stepped back.

"And now for the main course," he laughed, stepping forward, "I love a fresh piece of meat." He jumped-

BANG!

Lulu stared at the puppet, who'd been knocked to the side and, while still awake, was struggling to get up and had a large hole in his side. She looked to the side as Blade ran up to her and began trying (somehow) to wrap a worn piece of curtain around her leg.

"Nice shot." She whispered as Bartal lowered the Third Reich gun and looked at it, eyebrow raised.

"Never thought this thing would do any good in the world," he muttered before putting it back in place. He looked at the puppet, who was trying to crawl away to the door. "What should we do with-" it was suddenly up, and dashed out. "…Well, shit."

"He's going to fix the bullet hole, no doubt," Stella said as she walked over. "Meantime, we should get going. Kid, you packed?"

"Yeah…"Lulu looked at her leg "Where are we gonna go, though?"

"I have a place," Bartal cut in, "up north from here. Very big and very safe. I never use it, so you can until that thing gets destroyed." He looked at Lulu. "Be careful, okay?" She nodded, and he turned to Stella. "And you," she didn't look up at him, "this kid is the daughter I never had, okay? You make sure she gets out okay."

"Yeah, sure," she shuffled her cards, "but we should get going." She looked up at him. "Nice talking to ya. Let's go, guys." She walked out the front door where a taxi was waiting, and Bartal watched Lulu and Blade slowly walk out of the house and into the darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

_A new chapter?! For this story? No way!_

_I think I may be getting back into the groove of things now, so enjoy this crasshole whist I get to work on the next part! Sorry, you're gonna see a lot of Rupert. Evil laugh*_

_Happy reading!_

* * *

Chapter 13: Pursuit

"What do you mean, she left?!" The nerve of her! After getting her puppets and going through all of the trouble of setting up a surprise dinner at his favorite restaurant, Lulabelle was gone? Rupert clenched his teeth in frustration. "Where did she go?"

"Somewhere safe," his uncle responded, and he heard the old man lean back in his old and creaky recliner, "you screwed up, Rupert. Somebody was after those puppets, and now they're after her, and I don't want to say anything in case the party in question is listening in somehow."

"Surely," Rupert did his best to put on a pleasant tone, "you could trust your favorite nephew, Uncle Bartal?" He heard a bark of laughter on the other side.

"You're my _only _nephew, pal, and don't count on me to cater to your every whim like Mum and Pop. I always did say my brother let you have your way too often." There was the sound of paper rustling. "And don't you try any of that blackmail that businessmen seem so crazy about these days, the worst you'll find is a photo of me from high school with a bad haircut. I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not?!"

"Because I don't like you."

_Click. _Rupert stared at the phone in disbelief before slamming back down onto the desk. The nerve of everybody! He had a date planned tonight, did nobody respect that? And just who was after Lulabelle, anyway?

She was his – she'd been his ever since he'd first laid eyes on her at a company luncheon when her father was still alive. She was perfect – beautiful, young, and within his class – and he'd known immediately he would have her, and she would have him. Oh, it was hard to get close – she'd gotten mad at him from the beginning, when he'd moved the ruffian harassing her and introduced himself – why, she'd punched him in the face! – but how was he supposed to know that the shaggy-haired man had been her boyfriend at the time?

A little string-pulling had quickly taken care of that, and once her boyfriend was safely transferred to a job in another state, she was without distraction from Rupert, the one she'd been made for. And then, in the worst timing imaginable, her father was reported to be in critical condition after a car crash. The two months he'd spent in the hospital had been the longest Rupert had ever known – not only was his whole family preoccupied with their business partner's recovery, but Lulabelle would not leave until the end of visiting hours, and spent her time outside of those hours praying and doing busy work like crafting and cleaning, not letting anybody in the house save Rupert's uncle and grocery deliveries. Even when he brought flowers, she would not entertain him, and when he'd confronted her about her reclusive behavior – why, this still stung – she spat! In his face! And then she had slammed the door, adding insult to injury. For the months after his death, animosity eventually faded from her attitude and turned to simply acting like he was a mild inconvenience. Frustrating, but it was better than before.

And now! With no warning or explanation, she was gone, and _he _was to blame? Rupert stood up from his desk, and stormed out of his office and to the stairs, taking one flight, two, until he reached the first floor of the large house. He knew where she'd gone – somewhere safe meant that Bartal had sent her to one of his houses he'd bought in a fit of paranoia about World War 3, and Rupert knew their addresses by heart.

As he got in his car, Rupert glanced behind him, and something caught his eye. He got back out, and walked over to the backdoor and opened it. There was a puppet, a manic little clown, sitting and grinning. It must have fallen out of the suitcase…

This was perfect! With a gift to get in her good graces, Lulabelle was certain to comeback. Rupert set the puppet in the passenger seat before starting the car and heading towards the train station.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Epiphany

It was all too close to be coincidence.

Bartal shifted through the papers in his drawers, looking for the sheet "Stella" had given him with a phone number. The number of the safe house he'd sent them to was sitting in front of his computer, but he ignored it – calling that one meant he might have to ask for her through Lulu, and that would mean explaining he'd had a friend before the war who he suspected she knew – and he hated lying to Lulu. He didn't think she knew the girl, and that was why he'd have to lie – how was anybody supposed to believe he suspected the 20-something of being his childhood friend from over 70 years ago?

Rustles of white and browning sheets produced nothing, and he shut the drawer, moving down to the next one. He remembered the girl he'd known – the stubborn blonde with the crooked nose and burning eyes, the one who would drag him on adventures before the war broke out, the clever puppeteer who hated nothing more than being in Andre's shadow, except for tolerating fools. Bartal closed his eyes – he could hear her insulting him in German, elbowing him in the arm when he'd ask what he thought was a sensible question, telling him not to be a fool. He remembered the day she'd let him watch her make a puppet, a little American soldier girl – something odd at the time, but he'd respected it – and a long needle filled with green fluid stabbed his skin and, thanks to his big hands, had injected its contents into his blood when he'd tried to get it out.

He flexed his hand – he still felt young in body, younger than he should have ten years ago. It didn't seize up, no bones creaked, his muscles worked perfectly. Whatever had been in that vial… it was life-giving. It had been, no doubt, meant for the little puppet Hilda – the soldier woman who stood proudly on his mantelpiece, in just as good condition as it had been when it was made, thanks to Lulu's magic – but he'd moved too fast to look at it, and ended up where he was now. He looked at his faint reflection in the blank monitor – Lulu was right, aside from the creases in his brow and completely bald head he didn't look a day over 50. Hell, he didn't feel a day over 50. He went back to looking through the drawer.

What if he was wrong? What if this girl was… a descendent? Hadn't she gotten married? He bit his lip at the thought. He didn't want to think about her married – he didn't want to think about her settling down with a man and having kids. That wasn't the girl he'd known. It was unrealistic, he rationalized. He'd think about something concrete – his mind drifted to the day he'd gone to the train station to join his troop on the battlefield.

He found the number.

He remembered her slapping him across the face as he picked up the phone. He remembered her shouting at him for not waiting for her to say goodbye. And as the phone rang one, two, three times, he remembered her lips against his for a few precious moments before he got on the train, and looked back at her for what he'd thought for over 70 years was the last time.

"Who is this?"

"Tristella Toulon? It's Bartal."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Combat

The small figure in the shadows swung, and Lulu stepped away with ease, bringing the bat in her hands down in front of it. The puppet stumbled, and she wasted no time stepping around him before swinging again, hitting the floor hard enough to shake it.

The puppet stumbled back.

She darted out of the room, and he was fast on her heels as she turned a corner, dashed up the stairs, turned another corner. She grinned when she heard his shoes slide against the wax of the floor, but cringed at the _thud _of impact with the wall, even if it did give her a few extra seconds. She was quickly down a set of hidden stairs, and dashed as she heard small footsteps behind her again. She turned another corner, and pulled on the rope she'd set up that morning just as he appeared in her line of sight.

_Clang!_

"Yes!" Lulu grinned as the stainless steel cage fell perfectly over the small figure, who clanged at the bars. "That should buy me a good amount of time to get Fringe!"

_"Hiss!"_

"Alright, I'm sorry, I'll get you out," Lulu walked over and lifted the door to the cage, smiling as Blade walked out and over to her as she put it back in place. "Thanks for helping me practice, buddy." She lifted him up and gently set him on her shoulder. "Even if this doesn't work…" Blade looked at her, tilting slightly to one side, and she smiled sadly. "I appreciate it, really. It's helped me feel a lot better." Blade gave a small nod of understanding as she walked back to the temporary workshop she'd set up in the large safe-house. The door creaked a bit as she opened it, and she smiled – it reminded her of the old door at home.

_"Hiss?" _Blade jumped down from her shoulder and onto the tabletop, walking over to the puppet sitting in the small barber's chair – the very one she'd repaired Blade in just a few weeks before. Lulu smiled, and sat down in front of it, opening up the sewing kit sitting next to the chair.

"She's almost done, Blade," Lulu said, pushing a strand of waist-length black hair from the puppet's face. "Just a few touches to the clothing, and she'll be all spruced up." The mini-Lulu simply stared ahead, lifeless as the needle Lulu put a tip of scarlet thread through. She quickly got to work, accenting the black gaucho pants with a red zigzag stripe near the bottom, carefully measuring each stitch as she worked. Blade just watched her hands work, occasionally glancing back up at the human girl who worked so diligently on the empty puppet, just as she had with Blade and the others. Finally, she snipped the last stray thread, and sat back in the chair. "Done!"

It was a weird way to relieve stress, sure, but Lulu felt proud of the finished product. Mini-Lulu, now permanently named Ankha by the tiny, engraved gold band Lulu had crafted from clay and gold foil, had been transformed considerably – her lips were now ruby-red, her long hair woven into twists and accented with little gold bands, along with a red headband holding it out of her face, and her simple black outfit had been replaced by gaucho pants and a cropped black shirt that followed the line a human's ribcage would form, both accented with the red zigzags and lined with tiny yellow beads at the edges. A tiny gold anklet made from painted and woven wire and a single red bead, along with small sandals, finished the look, and Lulu beamed at the Egyptian princess she'd created. "Whaddaya think, Blade?"

_"Hiss." _It seemed a happy enough sound, and Lulu smiled and leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, as Blade turned to face her. _"Hiss…" _He stepped towards her, and she frowned a bit.

"Blade? What's wrong?"

_"Hiss…" _Cold metal pushed a few strands of hair from her face, and she looked at the hook before glancing back at him as he pulled it back.

"Blade?"

_Ding-dong! _Lulu stood up, picking the puppet from the table. "Tri must have forgotten the key…" She walked out, and to the front door, setting Blade down on the nearby windowsill before opening it and jumping back.

"Such manners!" She clenched her teeth as Rupert snidely began, stepping in past her - without an "excuse me" to boot! "I go to all of the trouble of setting up a surprise dinner for the two of us, and when I call to see how you are I find out you've run off without a word! You're lucky I'm forgiving, Lulabelle–"

"Rupert, get out. I don't want you here."

"- And as a symbol of my forgiveness," he continued, "despite your tactlessness, I have brought you a gift. It's sitting in the car now. However – "

Rupert stopped at the sound of glass breaking, and they both looked back just in time to see a puppet-sized shape dart under the house, laughing mad.

"Rupert, you asshole, you brought it straight to me!"

"I will not be called such profanities within my own family's property! Now, you have some explaining to – "

Tristella walked in with a troubled expression on her face just in time to see Lulu punch Rupert across the jaw.


	16. Chapter 16: Confrontations

_...Here comes the first shipping. Just saying. Also, SJ wrote most of the dialogue for Tri. Thank you, SJ!_

* * *

Chapter 16: Confrontations

"Tri!" she looked up at Lulu, who had a cast on her leg, along with numerous bruises and cuts on her face. "You're back!"

"I met up with this asshole's uncle," she muttered, "old friend of mine. He realized the idiot came here and wanted to warn us." Bartal walked in, also brutalized.

"I thought I recognized _Stella_," he grinned, and Lulu looked from one to the other.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" They looked at each other.

* * *

Tri grunted as she was slammed against the wall, and glared up at the large man's eyes as his hands clamped on her shoulders.

"Do you have any idea how long I looked?!" She broke free of his grip, and swung at his face. He grunted at the impact, and stepped back, hand going to his face. "Do you have _any _idea? I tried to find you before my own brother!"

"You BASTARD! They said you'd DIED! They said you were taken as a prisoner of WAR! Do you REALISE WHAT I DID FOR YOU?!" He growled, and swung at her, knocking her to the side.

"I thought I was dead, too!" She elbowed him in the stomach, and he grabbed her arm, twisting it. She shouted and kicked him in the gut. "Almost seventy years! You froze me in time, bitch!"

"I saved your goddamned life with that serum!" He was bent over, and rammed into her, sending her flying into the wall. Tri felt the breath leave her for a moment, but she got up quickly and sent another kick to his side. "I saved you! Do you have ANY IDEA how much trouble I could have got into from that?!"

"And for what?! You should have used it on Andre! You wasted it!"

"No _shit, _Sherlock! Thanks to YOUR disappearance, I was sent to one of those camps Hitler had stashed all over Germany and Poland! And do you know what? The only way OUT of those is to die, or wait for Americans, OR TO FUCK EVERY GUARD YOU CAN TO HAVE THEM GET YOU OUT!"

"Five years of hell!" He coughed, and blood hit the floor. He snarled, swung at her, knocked her into the wall again. "I was held prisoner for five years of hell! Your goddamn serum made me their perfect puppet! I was the goddamn whipping boy, and I never stayed down! Which meant _they never had to stop kicking me! _Weeks without food or water thanks to that green bullshit! Do you have any idea what I had to do to escape? What I had to subject myself to?! I could never look my family in the eye and tell them what I did! Who I did!" He dodged the third kick, grabbed her ankle and raised his other hand over it. He looked at her.

"You wouldn't."

Ker-rack!

"Seven times," he said as she shouted in pain from the broken fibula, "they did that to me. It always healed. They loved that part."

"Not as much as you'll love this!" She swung again, and there was a loud crack as she made contact with his jaw. He let go of the leg, and she shouted as it hit the floor. His hand was on his mouth, and he spit out a molar.

"I remember this," he muttered, tossing the tooth aside. "I remember every goddamn fistfight we got into before the goddamn war. Not so fun when you're matched, is it, _Tristella_?"

She didn't answer, instead punching his neck. He gasped for air, and his hand flew to the wall for support as he choked on blood. She hit him in the chest, the face, the shoulder - he regained his breath, and swung the back of his hand across her face, hit her in the stomach, and finally pinned her shoulder to the wall.

"Bastard..." she panted, now breathing slower as the adrenaline started to fade, "you _bastard_..."

"Bitch," he responded, staring at her, anger fading, "I held on that whole time waiting to see you again." He closed his eyes, and she punched him across the face. He wiped the blood from his mouth again. "I never stopped thinking about you. I thought you'd given up on me. Didn't I tell you I'd make sure that wasn't going to be the last time..."

"You were always lying to me. Lied like my father. My sisters. My-"

"I did no such thing. I lied because I cared. They did it because they hated you."

"Don't you hate me? After all this hell I put you through, don't you hate me?"

"Tri," he looked down, and laughed with the remaining coughs, "you call me the idiot. No, you hard-headed... cold-hearted... manipulative... Tri... I'm still the same idiot who committed the bravest act of my life just before getting on a train." She shook her head at him in a mixed look of "you have got to be kidding me" and fading anger, and he smiled, letting out one more pained chuckle. "One I still need to follow up on." He leaned forward, and pressed his lips against hers, releasing her shoulder and bracing himself against the wall.

Tri stared at him for a moment. This idiot… this _idiot. _She kissed him back, slinging an arm around his neck.

"Okay," he sighed as he reluctantly pulled away, "my idiot nephew is headed to the safe house as we peak, and he probably has the puppet. We need to get there and warn Lulu." He looked her up and down. "But first," he said, scooping her up without warning, "You need a cast."

"Hey!" Tri glared as she was lifted princess-style from the ground. "I can walk!"

"I love you, Tri." She stared, then slumped in his arms.

"Alright, fine, you can take me to the bloody doctor." She let out a sigh.

"Wait," he stopped, and took her bag from the ground. "You almost forgot this." Tri nodded, and hit it as he heard what sounded like a small giggle from inside.

"Ow!"

"What was that?" Bartal raised an eyebrow as he kept walking in the direction of the nearest hospital.

"Oh, man," the voice from the bag said, "This is _rich_."

"There's another one? Son of a bitch, Tri…" he shook his head as Fringe stepped out. "Next you're going to tell me Hilda's alive."

"You still have that ruddy old thing?" Tri raised an eyebrow.

"We'll continue this later, right now Lulu and your leg need help."

"My leg is fine."

"Oh man," Fringe laid back on top of the bag, "if this is your snogging, remind me to evacuate before you have sex."

As soon as the shock left her face, Tri opened her mouth to yell at the puppet, but Bartal interrupted.

"We'll worry about that later."

* * *

"Was it Lector?!" They looked back at Lulu.

"YES." Fringe snorted, but they ignored her.

"Your idiot nephew brought the doll from hell right to me!" Lulu pointed at Rupert, who stepped towards her. She socked him again.

"She keeps hitting me!"

"We have bigger problems," Bartal gestured to the roof as they heard the sound of footsteps. "Lulu, get packed."

"No," Lulu said, "I have a different idea." She darted into the house without another word, Blade running behind her. Bartal stared in confusion for a moment before turning and punching Rupert again.

"…No, seriously," Fringe said, "I do _not_ wanna be around the two of you when you get nasty. You're like a pair of wrecking balls!"


End file.
